The fanbase is the sum total of all a persons fansgood, bad, and otherwise.

While the positive portions of the fanbase often outweigh the negative it can become irritating for yourself and others when your own fans are constantly harassing another persons fans or each other for essentially no reason.

Fans provide the vital service of spreading your name around for others to hear and come to enjoy your stuff much in the same way religiousfans never shut up about how you should join there church and talk about there imaginary friend in the sky.

On the other side of this idea however you have the fans who spread your work like the crusades, by destroying, demeaning, or getting butthurt over everything/one remotely similar to your own work.